Alex

ALEX

I xor snores disgustingly on the sofa, dressed only in a pair of underpants. His blubbery skin shakes as he scratches himself somewhere unmentionable.

"Go to the dome. The gladiator games are starting, and I need you to get me a pass," he slurred at me earlier.

"How?" I asked.

He had tossed a small piece of clear perspex across the table as he shoveled the meal I made between his tusks and down his gullet. It was a map device which showed a route into the dome which clearly wasn't made for the general punter.

The dome. I shiver at the thought of the imposing building as I hide the various items I might need about my person. I have one outfit, a pair of dark-colored pants, a shirt with a silvery sheen to it, and a jacket in a soft green. Over time, I've learned enough about sewing to be able to make additional hiding places. I don't just have to hide stuff for Ixor but from him too.

Sassy Cleaner rolls out from under a threadbare chair but thankfully stays silent, even if I feel like it's looking at me. With a deep breath, I remind myself I'd rather be anywhere other than in the presence of Ixor, even if it does mean entering the place where the violent and bloody gladiator games are held.

Outside, it's early morning, and the air is fresh before the heat of the day rises. It means the city smells like less of an armpit than usual. I hurry through the streets until I reach the place I'm hoping is open.

"Hello, human." Ginka grins at me, inclining her horned head at a basket on the counter. "Baked this morning but not good enough for sale," she says.

I grab one of the hot rolls, shaped into a complicated twist. I can't believe there's anything wrong with them, but given Ixor didn't leave anything last night, I'm too hungry to care. Biting down into the soft fluffy middle through a perfectly crisp outer means I'm inadvertently groaning out loud.

"Good?" Ginka asks.

I nod, stuffing as much as I can into my face. She slides a cup across to me. It's a drink called Veeh, and it tastes nothing like coffee or tea, but it's hot, and together with the roll, it's like Christmas.

"Thank you," I say when I finally come up for breath.

"I like humans. You're very appreciative," Ginka says.

It is generous of her, given when we met, I was actually stealing her rolls. But the big horned Remek took pity on me, something I'm eternally grateful for, given I have little else in my life. In the last few nova-months I've spent in Tatatunga, we've become friends.

"What's he got you doing today?" she asks.

I might have told her some of why I'm in Tatatunga, mostly that I'm a slave. It's not safe for her to know anything about Ixor or what he does. The last thing I want is for her to become a target because she's a known associate of a Habosu bounty hunter.

"I have to go to the dome," I tell her.

"The dome?" She looks me up and down as if I might get eaten alive. "On your own?"

"I have errands," I say with a shrug.

"The games are on." Ginka shakes her head. "The dome is no place for a human. If you don't get consumed by one of the beasts, you might end up as a snack for the gladiators." Her mouth quirks up but her eyes are filled with concern.

I refrain from saying the dome is exactly the place for a little human thief who can slip into most places undetected because we're so rare, one of the very reasons Ixor keeps me around.

"I'll be fine."

Ginka huffs, like she always does when she dislikes what Ixor is doing to me. She pushes the basket closer. "Then you'd better go prepared."

I laugh and quickly pocket two more rolls as well as taking a bite from a third.

"What would I do without you?" I attempt not to hiccup as I hold back the tears which threaten but I won't give in to.

It's Ginka's turn to laugh, a deep, booming sound which surely wakes the neighborhood.

"I know I'd have more stock to sell." Without any ceremony I'm crushed against her big chest. "Take care little one, I'm starting to like you."

"I always take care, you know that, unless there is food involved," I joke, voice smothered by her ample bosom.

"If I could free you, , I would. You know that," Ginka says with unexpected seriousness.

"I know and I appreciate it," I reply as she releases me.

Owning another being might not be strictly legal here on Trefa, but the authorities, particularly in lawless Tatatunga, usually ignore any arrangements like mine and Ixor's if they originated on another planet, unless they have good reason not to.

Ginka might have her own business, but like so many others here in the sprawling city, she's barely scraping an honest living. She couldn't buy my freedom any more than I could.

"Come back and tell me how you found the dome and the gladiators!" she calls after me as I leave the delicious scent of her shop and go back in to the less fragrant streets.

"If I survive it," I mutter to myself once I'm sure I'm out of earshot.

The heat in the city rises as it wakes, and I make my way until the palace of death, the dome where the games take place on a seasonal basis, rises up in front of me like a huge dark toad squatting in the heart of a desert. I duck into an alcove before I reach the place and consult my map.

Settled in my palm, it projects a small 3-D hologram showing the entrance I need to use and my path through to where I can steal the pass Ixor wants.

He can't buy one. He's a shadow, as he has so often told me. He isn't here. He isn't to be seen. Except by his mark. And then they're the last to see him. Despite the rising heat, my skin prickles with a chill. My exposure to death in the last few years since I was abducted is entirely down to Ixor, and I'll never get used to it.

I take a deep breath and look up at the vast structure, built to contain the games, the gladiators, their challengers, and the beasts they slay. I pocket the map and hurry forward.